Non-academic Publications Research Articles

OpenBIM in the global architecture engineering and construction industry: a literature review of academic research

Much has been said to promote openBIM. However, little has been done to articulate its past, present, and future prospects. This paper aims at reporting a critical review of academic research on openBIM in the global architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. Through a systematic filtering process, we selected articles that are relevant, comprehensive, and with clear definitions of openBIM. Non-academic publications and studies with insufficient details were excluded. This process allowed for an initial review of 335 publications, narrowed to 49 academic journal articles published from 2009 to 2024. We discovered that in the past 15 years the openBIM literature has been expanding steadily along with openBIM industry applications. However, we identified four limitations of this expansion: (1) lack of interoperability, (2) library readiness, (3) domain knowledge gaps, and (4) lack of liability issues. Continuous improvement of the openBIM domain is needed, including standardizing codes, training talents, and exploring potential collaborations with other technologies.

Critical writing in higher education: A need analysis survey

Critical thinking and writing are considered as one of the twenty-first century skills that must be acquired by students; however, research on this area still needs more empirical paucity of evidence. The present study aims to reveal English students’ learning needs on critical writing course at university level. Drawing on survey research, this study invites 437 undergraduate students majoring in English department from four universities in Surakarta municipality, Indonesia. Statistical analysis identifies key student priorities: acquiring, evaluating, and synthesizing information; effective communication; articulating their opinions; publishing their writings; and presenting materials at international forums. The data also reveal that English students encounter significant challenges in critically analyzing information and drawing conclusions from reading passages. Regarding their expectations for critical writing instruction, students aspire to enhance both their critical thinking and academic writing abilities. This is particularly pertinent for pre-service teachers who will need to teach content and produce both academic and non-academic publications. Additionally, the survey indicates a positive student response to incorporating technology (e.g., social media, networking sites, websites) into collaborative learning activities for critical writing courses. These findings provide valuable insights into the needs and expectations of English students regarding critical writing courses, offering a clear direction for course design and instructional strategies.

Pseudocide: dying to get away with it

PurposeWhen an individual leaves evidence to suggest that they are dead to mislead others, they are committing “pseudocide.” This study aims to examine pseudocides performed for the purpose of committing or concealing a financial crime.Design/methodology/approachThis manuscript summarizes information from both academic and nonacademic publications. To provide evidence related to the conclusions made by prior authors and identify the risk factors that are often indicative of pseudocide, this manuscript examines the characteristics of pseudocides that received media coverage.FindingsPseudocides that receive media coverage often involve a prominent figure or a compelling story. These stories are not representative of the average pseudocide, which receives no publicity because it occurs in a less developed nation and is committed by a nonpublic figure. Common characteristics include the absence of a corpse and paperwork procured through bribery.Originality/valueOne of the only academic papers focused on pseudocide, this manuscript provides readers with information related to the scope of the issue, common methodologies and factors indicative of pseudocide. This should be of interest to several parties including forensic accountants, insurers, regulators and academics.

Antidiabetic Drug Efficacy in Reduction of Mortality during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is a complex challenge for the existing scientific and medical landscape. It is an ongoing public health crisis, with over 245,373,039 confirmed cases globally, including 4,979,421 deaths as of 29 October 2021. Exploring molecular mechanisms correlated with the disease's severity has demonstrated significant factors of immune compromise, noted in diabetic patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections. Among diabetics, the altered function of the immune system allows for better penetration of the virus into epithelial cells, increased viral binding affinity due to hyperglycemia, reduced T cell function, decreased viral clearance, high risks of cytokine storm, and hyper-inflammatory responses, altogether increasing the susceptibility of these patients to an extreme COVID-19 disease course. Materials and Methods: This research involved a systematic literature search among various databases comprising PubMed and Google Scholar in determining credible studies about the effects of antidiabetic drugs on the high mortality rates among diabetic patients infected with COVID-19. The primary search found 103 results. Duplicated results, non-pertinent articles, and the unavailability of full text were excluded. Finally, we included 74 articles in our review. The inclusion criteria included articles published during 2020-2023, studies that reported a low risk of bias, and articles published in English. Exclusion criteria included studies published in non-peer-reviewed sources, such as conference abstracts, thesis papers, or non-academic publications. Results: Among the studied anti-diabetic drugs, Metformin, the Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), and Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) have demonstrated decreased mortality rates among diabetic patients infected with COVID-19. Insulin and Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) have demonstrated increased mortality rates, while Sulfonylureas, Thiazolidinedione (TZD), and Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (AGI) have demonstrated mortality-neutral results.

Going to Yan’an: The Making of China’s New Ruling Class

ABSTRACT Studies of China’s ruling elites need to be set in the historical context of their formation and expansion, and the resurgence of the notion of “bloodline” (xuetong lun) and its evolution in the last decade into the red-genes theory (hongse jiyin) have increased this need. Yet there is a gap between the scholarly literature in English on China’s ruling elites and academic and non-academic publications in Chinese on the subject, especially on the Yan’an period (late 1935 until early 1948) of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) expansion. Both advocates of the bloodline concept and the red genes theory are connected to Yan’an, as are numerous other contemporary ruling class families. Based on an analysis of Chinese publications, this article examines understudied aspects of the “going to Yan’an” phenomenon during the Anti-Japanese War from a social positioning perspective. Through considering Yan’an as part of social positioning options and how new groups developed there, this article offers a new perspective on the making of China’s post-1949 ruling elites.

Circular Clock model for circular economy implementation in firms: Balance between theory and practice

Purpose: The circular economy is a key issue for any company, city, or institution. The linear economy model, based on "take, make, use and waste" of products and resources, has discarded potentially valuable resources and caused serious contamination problems. In contrast, the circular economy (CE) model is a strategic paradigm whose purpose is to regenerate and conserve resources through closed material loops and the sustainable use of energy in its processes. Therefore, a growing number of companies are applying different tools and techniques to implement the CE principles to innovate their products, services, and processes, achieving promising results. Thus, the main objective of this study is to suggest an implementation model named “Circular clock” based on a set of tools and techniques which firms may use for implementing CE.Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents an empirical analysis based on the triangulation method that includes three different data sources: semi-structured interviews in Spain, academic literature and books, and non-academic publications from institutions and consultancy firms. Findings: The most relevant result of this study is the proposal of a Circular Clock model for circular economy implementation is based on six fields of action define in the academic literature: take, make, distribute, use, recover, and industrial symbiosis. Moreover, this study may serve as guidance in facilitating the strategic adoption of eco-innovation practices in firms' transition to a CE. Research limitations/implications: The sample of companies that participated in the triangulation is exploratory; however, this limitation is overcome by reviewing academic literature and institutional reports. On the other hand, academics could expand the selection of tools with subsequent studies.Practical implications: The current study is based on the triangulation method, which was vital to balance the theory and practice provided by academic sources, reports, and books. In addition, this study has improved our understanding of the goals or intentions that may motivate firms to implement the CE and align them with the suggested set of tools. Consequently, this study is relevant to support practitioners in selecting a tool based on the goal they want to achieve towards circular economy implementation.Social implications: This research suggests several tools; however, each organization could adapt some that it already knows. Therefore, firms and implementation leaders should customize the circle with short lines in each case. Moreover, the clock bells represent the deadline considering that every CE implementation process requires a deadline to ensure its success in micro-level or firms.Originality/value: The "circular clock" provides a didactic way for sustainability leaders, consultants, or companies to facilitate the implementation of the circular economy by choosing the field of action on which they want to focus and the most appropriate tool according to their strategy, objective, and budget. Therefore, this model is based on the balance between theory and practice.

The Indonesian Digital Workforce Gaps in 2021–2025

The development and advancement of information and communication technologies have led to major changes in industry and the labor system in Indonesia. In the context of the digital economy, Indonesia needs to immediately improve digital labor policies based on research results. However, studies on Indonesian digital workforces mostly come from global nonacademic publications, which acknowledge the limitation of the workforces. This study addresses the gaps between the supply and demand of digital workforces in 2021–2025 by conducting a Bayesian analysis on the data from the 2018 Indonesian Statistics Bureau and the 2020 ILO ICT job demand forecast. According to the findings, the supply of digital workforces will outnumber the demand, which is expected to be 600,000 workers per year. This surplus number poses a new challenge for the government if the available workforce lacks the competencies needed in the industry. According to the study, IT system programmer/developer/administrator/system analyst and IT web designer/developer will still be popular job roles during this time. It is suggested that improving these digital skills in the current and future workforces should be a top priority for the government.

‘The border problems of science and philosophy’: Ilse Rosenthal-Schneider and post-World War 2 science in Australian academia and society

Ilse Rosenthal-Schneider (1891–1990), a refugee immigrant to Australia in 1938, was a student of Nobel Prize-winning physicists, Einstein, Planck, and von Laue. She combined a background in physics, especially relativity theory, with a philosophical focus on the nature and possibilities of knowledge. As well as working at the University of Sydney to teach science students how to recognise philosophical issues in their subjects, she drove a major outreach programme to regional towns in New South Wales, where she was fêted by her audiences as a highly accomplished science communicator. Her best-known book, published in 1980, examined her interactions with Einstein, Planck, and von Laue by expanding on how all of them understood the relationship between science and philosophy. Rosenthal-Schneider never achieved a great deal of recognition, due in part to the limited opportunities for women of her era, but also due to her insistence on bridging disciplines and engaging in a scientific and philosophical dialogue beyond academia. We will show how Rosenthal-Schneider explored the borderlands of science and philosophy throughout her life, as she argued for the relevance of philosophical questions to practising scientists and non-academic publics in Australia.

Upwards Workplace Bullying: A Literature Review

There is a large body of international literature on most aspects of workplace bullying, yet there are only a few research articles dealing with bullying of bosses, managers, and leaders by their subordinates and staff members. Over time the term “upwards bullying” has been accepted as the generic term to describe this phenomenon but using these search terms does not provide a comprehensive indication of relevant publications. This literature review identifies and collates English language research on upwards bullying to document its research status, its lack of visibility in the workplace, and to connect upwards bullying with related research on aggression against supervisors and managers. Included is research that specifically labels the phenomena as upwards or upward bullying, along with related terms of subordinate-initiated bullying, supervisor-targeted bullying, bottom-up bullying, bullying the manager, and bullying the boss. Nonacademic publications are not included, nor is research on related workplace misbehavior such as cyberbullying, legal action resulting from upwards bullying or whistle blowers, and extortion or blackmail. Areas for further exploration in the field are identified with indicators of how this type of workplace bullying differs from lateral and downward bullying. Coverage up to the year 2020 is provided with the expectation that the trend of working from home driven by safety considerations during the COVID-19 epidemic could change employee responses and reactions to their workplace leaders and management.

Introduction: The Civic Reconstruction of Higher Education and the Future of the Good Society

Introduction: The Civic Reconstruction of Higher Education and the Future of the Good Society

Chinese Outbound Tourists and Daigou as Soft Power

ABSTRACT Daigou is worth billions globally and is fueled by mobile connectivity and advances in e-commerce, and therefore, it is important to understand the impact of the Daigou phenomenon. While shopping is very much at the heart of Chinese outbound tourism, very little is known of the role that Daigou plays in terms of manifesting the soft power agenda. Soft power has long been a crucial element in China’s rise as a major international power. This research identifies and conceptualizes six key aspects from a qualitative content analysis using Nvivo to document academic and non-academic publications about Daigou, which in turn identifies how Daigou manifests into a soft power bricolage. This study contributes to the nuanced understanding of how soft power may be operationalized by shifting the focus to an informal, and yet powerful facet of Chinese outbound tourism.

Systematic media review: A novel method to assess mass-trauma epidemiology in absence of databases-A pilot-study in Rwanda.

Surge capacity refers to preparedness of health systems to face sudden patient inflows, such as mass-casualty incidents (MCI). To strengthen surge capacity, it is essential to understand MCI epidemiology, which is poorly studied in low- and middle-income countries lacking trauma databases. We propose a novel approach, the "systematic media review", to analyze mass-trauma epidemiology; here piloted in Rwanda. A systematic media review of non-academic publications of MCIs in Rwanda between January 1st, 2010, and September 1st, 2020 was conducted using NexisUni, an academic database for news, business, and legal sources previously used in sociolegal research. All articles identified by the search strategy were screened using eligibility criteria. Data were extracted in a RedCap form and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Of 3187 articles identified, 247 met inclusion criteria. In total, 117 MCIs were described, of which 73 (62.4%) were road-traffic accidents, 23 (19.7%) natural hazards, 20 (17.1%) acts of violence/terrorism, and 1 (0.09%) boat collision. Of Rwanda's 30 Districts, 29 were affected by mass-trauma, with the rural Western province most frequently affected. Road-traffic accidents was the leading MCI until 2017 when natural hazards became most common. The median number of injured persons per event was 11 (IQR 5-18), and median on-site deaths was 2 (IQR 1-6); with natural hazards having the highest median deaths (6 [IQR 2-18]). In Rwanda, MCIs have decreased, although landslides/floods are increasing, preventing a decrease in trauma-related mortality. By training journalists in "mass-casualty reporting", the potential of the "systematic media review" could be further enhanced, as a way to collect MCI data in settings without databases.

Thematic Analysis of Military Medical Ethics Publications From 2000 to 2020-A Bibliometric Approach.

ABSTRACTIntroductionThere has been external criticism of the compliance of military health personnel with internationally agreed principles in military medical ethics (MME). In response, a number of authors have called for clarity on the principles and topics within the domain of MME. This complements an increased acknowledgment of the need for education in MME for military health personnel. Our paper utilizes bibliometric techniques to identify key themes in MME to inform the development of a curriculum for this subject.Materials and MethodsWe designed a search strategy to find publications over the period January 1, 2000-December 31, 2020 in the domain of MME from the three databases, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, using the search string (ethic* OR bioethics* OR moral*) AND military AND (medic* OR health*). We obtained a total of 1,115 publications after duplication removal. After exclusion based on topic, year, and study design, we analyzed a total of 633 publications using Scopus’s embedded analysis tool and the software VOSViewer. We generated a co-occurrence word map from the abstracts of each of the publications. We deduced themes of MME based on the clusters shown in the word map, and we categorized each publication into one of these themes to analyze the change of themes over time.ResultsWe observed a 10-fold increase in annual publications on MME between 2000 and 2020. The majority of papers were written by U.S. (72%) and UK (13%) authors, although a total of 15 countries were represented. After using VOSViewer to identify co-occurring keywords in titles and abstracts from these publications, nine themes were identified: biomedical research, care to detained populations, disaster/triage, mental health, patient-focused foundations, technology, dual loyalty, education/training, and frameworks. The relative proportion of each of these themes changed over the study period, with mental health being dominant by the end.ConclusionsThis study has identified key themes that might inform the development of a curriculum for teaching MME. It is noticeable that the majority of themes cover MME from the perspective of professional practice on military operations; noting, the research and technology themes also pertain to the generation of knowledge for military operations. There were a limited number of publications covering practice in the non-deployed or garrison settings, and these were codified under the themes of “framework” and “dual loyalty”. The results are skewed toward English-speaking countries and exclude non-academic publications. Further work will search for other open-source information and non-English publications. To our knowledge, this exploratory bibliometric analysis on MME in the academic literature is the first of its kind. This article has demonstrated the use of bibliometric techniques to evaluate the evolution of knowledge in MME, including the identification of key themes. These will be used to support further work to develop a curriculum for the teaching of MME to military medical audiences.

Human rights for robots? A literature review

This literature review of the most prominent academic and non-academic publications in the last 10 years on the question of whether intelligent robots should be entitled to human rights is the first review of its kind in the academic context. We review three challenging academic contributions and six non-academic but important popular texts in blogs, magazines, and newspapers which are also frequently cited in academia. One of the main findings is that several authors base their critical views (i.e. views against recognizing human rights for robots) on misleading ethical and philosophical assumptions and hence offer flawed arguments regarding the moral and legal status of artificial intelligent robots and their possible claims to human rights. Our analysis sheds light on some of the complex and challenging issues related to the crucial question of whether intelligent robots with human-like capabilities are eventually entitled to human rights (or not).

Sick Returnees among China’s Sent-Down Youth and Contemporary Chinese Practices of Identity Performance

China’s first cohort of the sent-down youth during the Cultural Revolution has since its early years attracted considerable research interest and been analysed from a few different viewpoints. However, the gradual retreat from executing the sent-down policy, especially bingtui (return to urban centres of origin because of medical reasons) as the then widely used tactic, and its long-term impact on people’s socio-political attitudes and behaviours have not been examined and evaluated adequately. This has resulted in a large discrepancy between the non-academic discourse of returning sent-down youth, including bingtui, and the academic literature on these aspects in both Chinese and English. As revealed by many non-academic publications, bingtui not only represented the emergence of a widespread popular resistance to the Maoist Cultural Revolution that involved mobilising those who were then sent to the countryside, but was also believed to be responsible for a surge in what has since become known as songli feng (a wave of gift-giving practice). Based on the information recorded in published personal memories of many sent-down youth and other published accounts, online and print, as well as the information collected from my own past observations and recent interviews, this article will go beyond both glowing and condemnatory documentations of the sent-down movement of the late 1960s and 1970s and seek to analyse how bingtui was started, how it was utilised by sent-down youth and their families and, importantly, how it had led more Chinese people to realise that certain aspects of their identity could be performed.

Care-experienced cHildren and young people’s Interventions to improve Mental health and wEll-being outcomes: Systematic review (CHIMES) protocol

IntroductionThe mental health and well-being of children and young people who have been in care (ie, care-experienced) are a priority. There are a range of interventions aimed at addressing these...

Sri Lankan Travel and Tourism Industry: Recent Trends and Future Outlook towards Real Estate Development

Tourism is considered as an important economic activity around the world due to its direct economic impact as well as it is significant indirect and induced impacts. Granting to the World Travel and Tourism Council, Travel and Tourism Industry is one of the world’s most significant economic sectors accounting for 10.4% of global GDP and 313 million jobs, or 9.9% of total employment, in 2017. The direct and indirect impact of the industry on real estate development in the world is tremendous in terms of accommodation, catering to food and beverages, leisure, pleasure and relaxation. In Sri Lanka, tourism is the third-largest export earner in the economy, and during the past five years, there has been an unprecedented growth in the industry. However, tourism in Sri Lanka has much more untapped potential; thereby, the sector is poised to generate a range of growth and investment opportunities. However, it is only through the right policies and investment decisions; Sri Lanka can leverage the economic prospects of the Travel and Tourism Industry. This study analyses the importance of the Travel and Tourism Industry in terms of real estate development. It reviews significant trends that are shaping the growth and development of the Travel and Tourism Industry in Sri Lanka and aim to produce useful inputs for policy implications. The analysis is based on modified Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework 2008 published by World Travel and Tourism Council, and carried out analyzing both academic and non-academic publications, including published journal articles, annual and quarterly reports published by United Nations’ World Tourism Organization, World Travel and Tourism Council, World Economic Forum and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and through the raw data obtained by World Travel and Tourism Council for Sri Lanka. As per the analysis, the future outlook is bright for the tourism sector in Sri Lanka, and the country is expected to maintain a high rate of growth well into the next decade.

Features and form: Appropriating digital storytelling for public ethnography

Ethnography may have a unique capacity to capture the attention of non-academic publics, but if it remains tied to conventional publication and dissemination strategies, this capacity will remain unrealized. This article examines the possibilities and challenges of appropriating digital storytelling for public ethnography. To do so, we consider how two key features of digital storytelling platforms—multimodality and multilinearity—can help ethnographers make public ethnography. We show how these features can be used by ethnographers to publicize and politicize ethnographic accounts and translate descriptive and theory-driven ethnography for non-traditional audiences. Making effective use of multimodality and multilinearity has practical and epistemological implications. Appropriating digital storytelling for public ethnography recasts how ethnographers use theory, create and configure ethnographic data, deploy interpretive and evaluative schema, and structure accounts. Though challenging and potentially risky, we contend that if ethnographers want to make a difference, they should experiment with making ethnography differently.

Mapping potential impact areas of Blockchain use in the public sector

While the financial sector was the first to investigate the potential of Blockchain, and in more general terms, Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), with an initial focus on digital currencies including cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether, the study of potential uses of this technology is gradually expanding to also include other areas of application including public-sector applications. Academic and non-academic publications on the subject have so far burgeoned mainly in and around the so-called fintech (financial technology) area, a fact that is underlined by a surprisingly high number of literature reviews already performed in this relatively novel area of research. For the public sector and the study domain of Digital Government, Blockchain and DLT have remained under-researched topics, and the number of respective publications is still relatively low. The aim of this meta-level literature study is to map the existing Blockchain and DLT-related body of knowledge and link its prevalent concepts to known needs and requirements studied in the context of the public sector and in Digital Government. Among the concepts, which intersect the existing literature on Blockchain strongly with the public sector-related research and practice, the study found cost reduction, innovation, regulation, taxation, security, privacy, transparency, among others, all of which deserve increased attention from scholars active in the domain of Digital Government research.

Developing a web-based patient decision aid for gastrostomy in motor neuron disease: a study protocol

IntroductionMotor neuron disease (MND) is a progressive, incurable disease, characterised by degeneration of the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Due to the multisystem effects of the disease, patients...